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The Boston Globe has obtained a copy of a letter from an independent panel telling Gov. Deval Patrick more funds must be spent on maintenance and long-term rehabilitation to ensure safety of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Big Dig tunnels. The panel began working after a 2006 fatality.

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Already on the brink of insolvency, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has been told it must find more money to maintain the long-term safety of the Big Dig's $15 billion worth of tunnels. That message was delivered in a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick by a panel charged with conducting a "stem-to-stern" safety review following a partial tunnel collapse in 2006 that killed one motorist. The letter was obtained by the Boston Globe; the full report has not yet been made public.